Kröger Nils, Poulsen Nicole
School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400, USA.
Annu Rev Genet. 2008;42:83-107. doi: 10.1146/annurev.genet.41.110306.130109.
Diatoms are single-celled algae that produce intricately structured cell walls made of nanopatterned silica (SiO(2)). The cell wall structure is a species-specific characteristic demonstrating that diatom silica morphogenesis is genetically encoded. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which a single cell executes the morphogenetic program for the formation of an inorganic material (biomineralization) is not only a fascinating biological problem, but also of great interest for nanomaterials science and technology. Recently, analysis of the organic components associated with diatom silica, the development of techniques for molecular genetic manipulation of diatoms, and two diatom genome sequencing projects are providing insight into the composition and mechanism of the remarkable biosilica-forming machinery.
硅藻是单细胞藻类，它们会产生由纳米图案化二氧化硅（SiO₂）构成的结构复杂的细胞壁。细胞壁结构具有物种特异性，这表明硅藻二氧化硅形态发生是由基因编码的。理解单个细胞执行无机材料形成（生物矿化）形态发生程序的分子机制，不仅是一个引人入胜的生物学问题，而且对纳米材料科学与技术也极具吸引力。最近，对与硅藻二氧化硅相关的有机成分的分析、硅藻分子遗传操作技术的发展以及两个硅藻基因组测序项目，正在为这个卓越的生物二氧化硅形成机制的组成和机理提供深入了解。
